Masculinity and fashion consumption
Author
Elrum, Kristina
Term
4. term
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-07-29
Pages
61
Abstract
Vi bruger tøj hver dag. Denne kandidatafhandling undersøger, hvordan danske og italienske mænd bruger tøj og shopping til at skabe og vise deres maskulinitet. Undersøgelsen bygger på to kvalitative metoder: ustrukturerede, ikke-deltagende observationer af shoppere og semistrukturerede, dybdegående interviews. Observationerne blev gennemført i Italien 6.–8. april 2017 (43 observationer af mænd, der shoppede alene, par og grupper) og i Danmark 1.–3. juni 2017 (38 observationer). Interviewene fandt sted 6. april–5. juli 2017 med mænd i alderen 19–28 år med dansk eller italiensk nationalitet. Analysen viser, at det tøj, der mest forbindes med hegemonisk maskulinitet—det vil sige det udbredte ideal for, hvad der opfattes som mandligt—er jakkesættet. Samtidig siger informanterne, at jakkesættet ikke indgår i deres daglige garderobe, så symbolet på “det rigtige mandlige” bruges sjældent i hverdagen. Der blev også observeret og beskrevet stigmatisering af bestemte typer tøj, fordi de blev opfattet som knyttet til homoseksualitet. Der var ikke store forskelle mellem italienske og danske mænd som forbrugere af mode. Overordnet peger resultaterne på, at tøj bruges til at afspejle, hvem man er, og til at udtrykke personlige træk—og dermed også maskulinitet.
People wear clothes every day. This master’s thesis asks how Danish and Italian men use fashion and shopping to construct and display their masculinity. The study uses two qualitative methods: unstructured, non-participant observations of shoppers and semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Observations were carried out in Italy from April 6 to 8, 2017 (43 observations of men shopping alone, couples, and groups) and in Denmark from June 1 to 3, 2017 (38 observations). Interviews took place from April 6 to July 5, 2017 with men aged 19–28 of Danish or Italian nationality. The analysis finds that the item most associated with hegemonic masculinity—the widely accepted cultural ideal of being a man—is the suit. Yet interviewees said the suit is not part of their everyday clothing, suggesting that this symbol of “proper masculinity” is rarely used in daily life. The study also noted stigmatization of some garments because they were perceived to be linked to homosexuality. There were no major differences between Italian and Danish men as fashion consumers. Overall, the findings indicate that clothing is used to reflect who a person is and to express personal traits—and, in turn, masculinity.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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